Fiji Airways plane lands safely after bird strike departing Christchurch

George Thomson
George Thomson
Oct 09, 2025 |

A Fiji Airways flight from Christchurch to Nadi has landed safely after being forced to turn back shortly after take-off due to a bird strike.

Flight FJI450 departed Christchurch Airport at 2:24pm but began circling shortly after to burn off fuel before returning to land.

The aircraft remained in the air for over two hours before landing safely.

Fire and Emergency crews, who were on standby, have now been stood down. No injuries have been reported.

Police confirmed they were notified of the incident around 2:30pm and are currently at the airport.

St John Ambulance attended with two managers, three ambulances, and a rapid response vehicle.

Fire and Emergency was also in attendance.

Fiji Airways have been approached for comment.

George Thomson
George Thomson

George Thomson is a Senior Journalist at Chris Lynch Media. He has experience working in newsrooms in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK. He can be contacted at [email protected]

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